Page 103 of Wicked Heat

Noah holds up a finger, taps something on his keyboard with his other hand, then says, “Now.”

My entire body goes stiff, as if I’m preparing for some sort of explosion. But nothing feels different at all. It’s over, though. That much I know. Because the instructions on my phone morph into a video of fireworks that fizzle out with a message in a curly-que font: Thanks for playing!

The sick fucks are actually having fun. And Kari—oh, god, Kari. I’d thought she was my friend. And the truth feels like a knife through my soul.

I hug myself as I start to pace, trying to keep the anger and betrayal from bursting out and splattering all over the room.

How could they do this? How could I not have seen this coming?

My mind is reeling, my thoughts going everywhere. But one thing stands out from the melee—I want them caught. Imprisoned. Exposed. I want them to know just how not funny this whole thing is.

Because it’s not about the money. Not anymore.

It’s about the betrayal.

I don’t realize I’m crying until I feel Ash’s arms go around me. I turn into him, burying my face in his chest and simply sob as he leads me back to the table, pulls out a chair, and settles me on his lap.

For a few blissful moments, we sit like that, him stroking my hair and telling me that the ordeal is almost over while on the other side of the room, Noah’s tap, tap, tap on the keyboard harmonizes with the drip and sizzle of the coffee maker. I tell myself I should say something, but saying it would make it real. And maybe Noah’s trace will prove me wrong—oh, how I hope I’m wrong.

Then I hear Noah’s low whisper of, “Oh, yeah, you fucker. We’ve got you now.”

Ash sits up straighter, and though I try to stand—his legs must be numb—he just pulls me closer. “Tell us you have him.”

“Marty Road,” Noah says. “That’s the holder of the receiving account. Pretty damn close to Martin Street, don’t you think?”

My entire body sags. “It’s him,” I whisper. “It’s him and Kari and Maggie.”

Ash’s brow furrows. “Bree?”

I draw a breath. “He’s been hanging out with Kari and with Maggie. Kari’s Rory’s ex. She dated him before I did. And she’s at the heart of all this.”

Noah cocks his head. “How do you⁠—”

“She’s the one who introduced Rory to me,” I say, cutting him off. “And we were close enough that I let her read the very first draft of Reveries, before I’d even started to edit it.”

I keep going, feeling numb as I explain how that version included a lot of things that changed in later drafts, including a quote that Kari had loved: Love is a blade; beware the razor’s edge.

No one else read that version of the manuscript. Not my agent. Not my editor. Not even Aria. And the line was completely different in the next draft. That second version stuck, and it’s what’s in the book: Love is like a sword. Do not test the well-honed blade.

As soon as I tell that to the men, Noah gets on the phone. I know he’s calling the authorities, but it doesn’t matter now. We know who was involved. We’ll get those tapes before the friends-who-are-my-enemies can release them.

And as Ash’s arms tighten around me, I let myself sob as the horror of my friend’s betrayal crashes over me like waves in a storm.

“Hey,” Ash whispers, drawing me from an uneasy sleep. I blink, then sit up, realizing that Ash must have moved me to the sofa after I’d cried myself to sleep.

“How long⁠—”

“You had quite a nap,” he says, handing me a mug of coffee. “Over five hours.”

“Kari?”

“They just took her into custody. Maggie, too.” He goes on to tell me that Noah coordinated with the authorities, and they pulled in Martin Street within an hour after the money hit his account. Then he ratted out Kari and Maggie and two other guys who’d helped with the tech surrounding both the videos and the money transfer.

“Bree?”

“What? Oh. Yes. I’m okay,” I say, sitting up. “Numb. Disheartened. I don’t really know Martin, but Maggie was just an obnoxious reporter. I never would have thought she’d do something like this. And Kari—” My breath hitches. “Kari was my friend.”

“No,” Ash says. “She wasn’t.”